The Register of Walter Bronescombe, Bishop of Exeter, 1258-1280: I

Overview

Overview

Introduction to and transcription of earliest surviving Exeter episcopal register, with modern translation.

The earliest of the Exeter episcopal registers to survive, Bronescombe's is a general register with a single chronological sequence of letters and memoranda on many aspects of diocesan administration. It also contains copies of charters by, among others, king Henry III and his brother Richard, King of the Romans, in his capacity as Earl of Cornwall. Volume I of this edition (which supersedes the unsatisfactory one of 1889) contains a substantial introduction and a full transcription of the Latin text of folios 2-26, with a modern translation on the facing pages; it will therefore be of value to students of medieval Latin as well as ecclesiastical and legal historians. Two further volumes are to follow.O.F. ROBINSON is Douglas Professor of Roman Law at the University of Glasgow.

Reviews

Impressive...a significant contribution to the ecclesiastical history of Exeter and the English thirteenth century. CATHOLIC HISTORICAL REVIEW Useful discussions of Bronescombe's life and household, the administration of the diocese, and the bishop's dealings with religious houses, the dean and chapter, and such secular figures as the earls of Cornwall... It is for the clear presentation of the register itself, however, that this volume is most welcome. ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW